Video streaming, data streaming, and broadband digital broadcast programming is increasing in popularity in network applications. An example of a digital broadband broadcast network enjoying popularity in Europe and elsewhere world-wide is Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) which, in addition to the delivery of televisual content, is also capable of delivering data. The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) has also defined a digital broadband broadcast network. Both ATSC and DVB use a containerization technique in which content for transmission is placed into MPEG-2 packets that act as data containers. Thus, the containers can be used to transport any suitably digitized data including, but not limited to High Definition TV, multiple channel Standard definition TV (PAL/NTSC or SECAM), broadband multimedia data and interactive services, and the like. Transmitting and receiving digital broadband programming usually requires the transmission and reception equipment to be powered up continuously so as to be able to send or receive all the streaming information. However, in the current state of the art, power consumption levels, especially in the front end of a digital broadcast receiver, are relatively high. Reducing these power-consumption levels would therefore improve the operating efficiency of the broadcasting equipment.